SALYERSVILLE – Two years ago a group of volunteers out of Indiana came together to send donations to help people affected by the Eastern Kentucky flooding, and the Middle Fork Volunteer Fire Department decided now is the time to repay the favor in lieu of the recent string of tornados that hit near the Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky border.
After the June/July 2022 that hit Eastern Kentucky, a group of volunteers from Winchester, Indiana, reached out to the Middle Fork Volunteer Fire Department (MFVFD), who was helping in Rousseu and Jackson to clean up flooding in Breathitt County, asking what they could do to help, sending box trailers full of donations to help the area. They even accidentally sent a cat in with a bag of donations, which then got to make the long trip back home to its owner, but the two groups stayed in communications since then.
When an EF-3 tornado ran through Winchester, IN, last Thursday, the MFVFD reached out to check on them, receiving back, “I don’t know, you all may have to help us this time.” That was all they needed to hear to get the ball rolling.
“They helped us when we were in dire need and now it’s time to return the favor,” MFVFD Fire Chief Zac Allen told the Independent. “It flattened houses and people were hiding in pieces of homes. I don’t know how anyone survived it.”
Fire Chief Allen, Assistant Chief Nathan “Wavy” Cole and member Jeff Tackett – who passed away unexpectedly last month – got together after Allen was voted in as fire chief and started doing more community projects. They started “Brother’s Keeper,” collecting and distributing donations, serving more than 200 households per month in the last five months, so far.
With their Brother’s Keeper project, they are now taking up donations for the town of Winchester, Indiana, with hopes of transporting donations either on Friday or Saturday of this week.
Donations can be dropped off to the Middle Fork Volunteer Fire Department any time, either given to a member at the fire department or dropped off in front of the door, or by calling either 349-9800 or 606-367-2931 to arrange a drop-off.
Right now they are taking donations of water, nonperishable foods, cleaning supplies, paper towels, mops, brooms, dustpans, tarps, trash bags, hygiene essentials, or money to buy those items, The group they’re working with said they do not need any more donations of clothing at this time.
Middle Fork Volunteer Fire Department is also accepting volunteers to help organize the donations so the items can be easily distributed.
The Randolph County Emergency Management Operations Center has updated that 38 people were injured from the tornado, 47 structures destroyed, 56 structures had major damage and 60 more structures had minor damage, with the town about the size of Paintsville and county comparable to Johnson County, size-wise.
Gary Simpkins jr
April 9, 2024 at 4:09 am
Make sure you send donated food to honest church not associated with vote sellers if u do they keep all the good food for elected officials Family only honest church I’d trust with that’s catholic church